“Gay people rely on technology to meet and interact in the real world, but everything out there seemed sub-par. I thought it was time for someone to build world class technology that connects the gay community.” -Michael Belkin

Micheal was our guest speaker at today’s Rose Scholars dinner conversation. He created the app called “Distinc.tt”, which is described as “the first app that brings together everyone in the LGBT+ community in a clean, social, and fun way.”

Michael, a Cornell undergraduate from ’08, went on to Harvard Business School and later came up with an idea to create an app for the LGBT+ community that wasn’t only about hooking up and more about creating a place online where the community could interact more easily. He mentioned how it can be difficult posting something on Facebook about what an LGBT+ community member is thinking and how it’s nice having a place where you know everyone will be more understanding of your issues and where you know people can relate and empathize more easily.

It was cool hearing how he picked up coding in business school for his app. He took a course because he knew he would have to take initiative to learn more about the technical aspect of his business, which is one of the most important ones. And ever since, he has become more proficient in computer science and much more involved in doing the coding for his app.